U.S. News and World Report has just issued its Best High Schools in the US list; more than 21,000 high schools were examined. Of all the schools garnering recognition (4300), New Jersey had 82. Schools are ranked both nationally and by state. The New Jersey section presents a very brief overall of education in the state before proceeding to list the 82 ranked schools in the state; Jersey City’s McNair Academic High School is ranked #3 in the state and #78 nationally while Liberty High School is “recognized nationally.” You also have the ability to filter schools by their type: charter, magnet, or public. Under the “charter” selection will be found NJCU’s University Academy. All schools on the list have a profile including the makeup of the student body and reported test scores. You can also search by individual school. The methodology employed is explained here. EdWeek has an informative summary.
Archive for Lists
Are Jeremy Lin and Rihanna Together?
Yes they are! They are listed in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Each individual is accorded a biography written by a noteworthy person preferably in their own field; for example, Louis CK’s profile is by Joan Rivers and Matt Lauer’s is by Howard Stern. If you want the rationale behind these picks, please read this.
Global Directory of Think Tanks
Global Go To Think Tanks contains hundreds of these institutions broken down by various categories: top in the world, top regional think tanks, think tanks arranged by research area, and think tanks recognized for special achievement. When doing research on policy questions, this compendium would provide a great starting place to identify major players in your field of endeavor be it security, or health policy, or international economics.
Lists of Presidential and State Primaries and Caucuses
Here are two very straight-forward sites that deliver the above information: the first is a listing by date of presidential primaries/caucuses; the second is an arrangement by state that not only includes the presidential primaries/caucuses but also includes the state-level primaries/caucuses for congressional seats. This 2011 CRS report – Presidential Nominating Process: Current Issues - provides needed background on this topic. Also, chapter one of Stephen Wayne’s Road to the White House 2008 focuses on “Presidential Selection: A Historical Overview”; a partial 2012 version of this chapter is available at Google Books. Additionally, these articles are of help: Reforming the Presidential Nominating Process; Reforming Presidential Nominations: Rotating State Primaries or a National Primary?; and Polls and Elections: Support for Nationalizing Presidential Elections.
U.S. News & World Report Ranks Online Degree Programs
This newsweekly examined hundreds of online programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels concentrating on business, education, nursing, computer information technology, and engineering. Several criteria were applied to each program (methodology is explained). A simple school name search is provided as well. It should be noted that no for-profit institution made the top of any list.
Listing of Sears and Kmart Stores to Close
This list may be expanded to 120 stores in the near future. For now, there are 80 stores slated to close. For this go-around, New Jersey has been spared any closures.
2011 Year in Review
Gentle reader, in case you have forgotten or wish you had forgotten the previous year’s activities, here are some sites to refresh your memory: 2011: Year in Review (infoplease); 2011 Year in Review (Yahoo); Year in Review 2011 (Reuters); Dynamic 2011 Events to Shape the World for Years to Come (CNN); 2011: Year in Review (CBS); Year in Review 2011: Videos (New York Times); Year in Review: Science Stories of 2011 (NPR); 2011 Year-End Review (Wall Street Journal); 2011: Year in Review (Los Angeles Times); 365 Days: 2011 in Review (Nature); and let us not forget Dave Barry’s take on the past year. On a more local level, please read 2011: The Year in Review in Politics (NJ Spotlight); and 2011 Power List and Year in Review (PolitickerNJ).
List of Mail Processing Centers to be Consolidated
Here is the list of proposed closings put out by the USPS; New Jersey takes a hit. These closings, in addition to local post office closings (two in Jersey City alone), will definitely mean thousands of newly-unemployed workers and slower delivery of first-class mail.( USPS press release)
Richest People in America
Courtesy of Forbes, this list of the 400 wealthiest Americans can be searched by industry, state, and category; i.e., self-made, women, etc. Each entry provides a brief biography as well as indicating on what other Forbes list the individual may be found. Once again, we did not make the list.
Is Your Lawyer Registered to Practice in Your State?
This list provides links and phone numbers to ascertain if your attorney is qualified to practice law in your state. Please read the notes and disclaimers.
2011 Best Books
Here they come! (This list will be expanded as new sites appear.) Amazon (spread over 20 categories); Publishers Weekly (multiple categories); Young Adult Library Services Association (including picks for reluctant readers); 100 Notable Books of 2011 (The New York Times); Best Books of 2011 (Kirkus Reviews); 2011 USA Best Books; Top 25 Academic Titles for 2011 (Choice);
SAGE Publishers Makes Freely Available Top Downloaded Articles
SAGE, in a press release, has announced that it is allowing free access to the top three most downloaded articles from 39 separate disciplines for the years 2009-2010. In addition, it is offering free access to the top downloaded articles from its backfiles in these disciplines. So researchers will have access to the most recent top research as well as to those articles that have stood the test of time. For example, from the 2009-2010 batch, one may read: Islam, Women and Violence from Feminist Theology, Defining Dyslexia from The Journal of Learning Disabilities, or Geographies of brands and branding from Progress in Human Geography while the backfile contains such works as Symbolic Power from the Critique of Anthropology, Leininger’s Theory of Nursing from Nursing Science Quarterly, or Doing Gender from Gender & Society. In total, more than 200 heavily downloaded articles are available; the 2009-2010 batch is here, and the backfiles are here.
Which Country Has the Fastest Internet?
Well, it certainly is not the United States which stands at 26th in the world. How about South Korea, followed by Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Latvia? These are the results based on work done by Pando Networks, a leading game delivery provider. How is this possible? According to the CEO of Pando, it is the the product of “infrastructural development and favorable geography.” The power point presentation of the report can be found here; it includes the twelve fastest and twelve slowest cities in the world as well as the fastest internet connections by ISPs. In a breakdown by The New York Times, New Jersey is the second-fastest state in the nation.
Most Corrupt Members of Congress
Here’s a list no politican wants to be on. This report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington singles out 14 members of Congress for scandalous behavior ranging from lying on campaign finance forms to trying to influence a judge; another 5 make the “dishonorable mention” list for their lack of ethical behavior. Each individual entry is comprised of a heavily documented indictment against the Congressperson. Thankfully, no one from New Jersey is on the list. Previous reports are also available.
Bill Gates is Still Rich
This far from surprising observation is bolstered by The Forbes 400: The Richest People in America. Gates heads the list with a personal worth of $59 billion; the second place belongs to Warren Buffet with a meager $39 billion. A brief profile accompanies each individual named. This list can be manipulated by industry, category, and state.
Complete List of 2011 Emmy Award Winners
Please come here for the full list of nominees and winners. Biographical information on nominees and winners is found at emmys.com; more can be found at biography.com and and the television section of IMDb. EmmyTVLegends provides interviews with the movers and shakers of television from actors/actresses to producers, writers, and directors. And don’t forget to visit the Encyclopedia of Television.
Congressional Salaries Since 1789
This informative CRS report, in discussing recent salaries adjustments and denials, also provides a handy listing of what Congressional pay has looked like over the course of 200+ years. Another CRS report of value is the Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes 1990-2010. These two reports cover the salaries of Congress but do not discuss other appropriations given to each member; for that, you need to peruse Congressional Salaries and Allowances (again from CRS). In this document, gentle reader, you will find that each Representataive is given an average allowance of $1.5 million for district office staffing and the like, while Senators are alloted an average of $3.34 million. You can see the amount of money paid to staff by visiting this site from Legistorm; a history on Congressional staffing can be found here. You can also visit the Statement of Disbursements from the House of Representatives which is available within 60 days of the end of each calendar quarterly.
What Charities in New Jersey Have Lost Federal Tax-Exempt Status?
Thousands, according to the IRS. Lists for all 50 states are available. Information provides the name of organization, last known address, EIN number, date of revocation of tax-exempt status, and the date it was posted on irs.gov. You can use the “find” command to limit by municipality.
List of New Jersey Schools Closing Early Due to Excessive Heat
Go to NJ12.com or New Jersey 101.5 for a statewide list.
2010-2011 AAUP Faculty Salary Report
The latest edition has just been released; NJCU is in it.
